Irontown

Name

Japanese name

⓵ Appearance

Irontown (たたら, Tatara) is a small settlement in Studio Ghibli's film Princess Mononoke and one of the primary settings. Ruled by Lady Eboshi, it is protected by a lake on one side and high walls surrounding its entirety.

Contents

Plot

Lady Eboshi's militarism has resulted in an ideological clash with the rulers of the neighbor forest, resulting in San's repeated assassination attempts on her. Ashitaka arrives in town in the middle of this conflict and becomes fairly popular while working to help settle the dispute.

Eventually, Irontown is destroyed by the Nightwalker. However Ashitaka goes back to Irontown with the rest of the people and helps them rebuild it. He decides to live there too, and then he can visit San.

Inhabitants

Irontown interior

The mining.

The Irontown is a fortress, where drovers are essential for food supply. They also carry ore from the mining to the fortress, where women use pair of bellows to pour iron. The blacksmiths forge rifles and cannons out of iron. The Irontown has many enemies, because Lady Eboshi rip off the Cedar Forest for resources and she became powerful due to her gun power. To fight the enemies on day and night, Irontown Guardians patrol on the wall.

Many inhabitants was prostitutes or discards[1]. Lady Eboshi gave them a living and a workplace. She saves many lives from starvation and disgrace. So the people in the Irontown respect her for helping homeless people. They will risk their life to protect Lady Eboshi by any means[2]

When Ashitaka visits the fortress, the inhabitants are curious and they want badly to see him. Not many strangers come to this town[3]. They are very friendly to Ashitaka, because he saves two men from their town. Normally they are distrust strangers, especially Lord Asano, who attacks the Irontown.

Arms

Pole weapons.

Beside rifles and cannons the Irontown people use naginata, a Japanese pole weapon. The naginata, in the right hands, is as lethal as the samurai sword katana. The weapon is widely use by women. Skillful women know how to take distance from their manly opponents, who are physically stronger than her.

Secret Garden

The Secret Garden.

The Secret Garden is an isolated place in the Irontown. In this area blacksmiths forge weapons. The blacksmiths are banned from their society, because they are sick. They wear bandage allover their body. Ebioshi take them in, otherwise they have no place to live. They sleep and work in an isolated area of the Irontown, because their disease can infect other people.